THE Saudi Arabia is on the threshold of confirming that she will be its organizer World Cup of 2034. And no one falls from the clouds. After its organization Cataractit was a foregone conclusion that the Saudis would… they were raging! As it was a given that the Americans – that is, the FIFA– they wouldn’t be spoiled for choice. Now it becomes even easier.
THE Australia was the only other country that had expressed interest in the event. On Tuesday morning, however, he announced that he will not, after all, submit a candidacy. Her withdrawal last minute, meaning the Gulf country will host the World Cup in 11 years. Between us and with Australia in raceSaudi Arabia was the big favorite.
In an article by Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and others, the Athletic charts what this development means for FIFA, Saudi Arabia and the wider world of football, bringing a number of issues to the table.
It is emphasized in the text: “We can start with the answer you’ll be hearing for the next 11 years: Raise the game.
FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, regularly tell us how the role of world football’s governing body is in the development of the sport around the world. FIFA’s website also tells us that FIFA is ”modernizing football to be global, accessible and inclusive in all respects. Not just on one or two continents, but everywhere”.
Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup is not a surprise — they are part of football’s VIP club now.
You are right to be upset, though. Once again greed has taken precedence over human rights.
And it feels worse because there is nothing anyone can do about it.
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— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 31, 2023
Now, as casual readers, you may be wondering how it translates to “Inclusive in all respects” in Saudi Arabia, where Amnesty International reported more than 100 executions between January and October 2023 and where its individuals LGBTQ+ community legal discrimination exists.
Other indications for which FIFA can enjoy a World Cup in Saudi Arabia may be sought in an interview with Jerome Valckethe former FIFA secretary general (later convicted by a Swiss court of bribery), who said in 2013 that sometimes ”less democracy is better for hosting a World Cup”.
What does this mean; That such states, less… democratic, are often more concerned with the prestige of hosting a tournament and less with the heavy costs of hosting it, while they may also be happier leaving FIFA to exploit the commercial assets. In the 2026 tournament in the USA, for example, FIFA is discovering all kinds challenges with the cost of renting training facilities for teams, as well as major differences with individual cities and stadium owners over revenue-sharing agreements. All this should be more clearly in Saudi Arabia.
All this leads to a more profitable World Cup for FIFA and the revenue can then be distributed more evenly among the member federations, which, of course, means that these member confederations are happier with FIFA and their president Infantinowho may remain head of FIFA for longer.
“The 2034 FIFA World Cup is our invitation to the world to watch the growth of Saudi Arabia, experience its culture and become part of its history“, says on the other hand Yasser Al Misehalpresident of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
Saudi Arabia’s national goal has been linked around the “Vision 2030”. This is described by government literature as “a unique transformative plan of economic and social reforms, opening Saudi Arabia to the world”, with the idea of diversifying the economy away from oil and gas to create a more sustainable long-term economy.
Therefore, a proposal for the 2030 World Cup was the initial plan and Saudi Arabia explored a partnership with Egypt and Greece before realizing that FIFA was unlikely to award a second World Cup to a state bordering Qatar within eight years of the previous tournament in 2022. Saudi Arabia decided to go it alone for 2034.
Under the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudis have dived headlong into sports projects. Examples include the sovereign wealth fund PIF of the state, which decided to acquire the Newcastleas well as backing the spin-off LIV Golf Tour, as well as a 10-year $650m (£535m) deal to host Formula 1 events and of course the launch of Saudi Pro League in football earlier this year, with up-and-coming superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
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— ???????? 2034 ???? (@Saudi2034WC) October 31, 2023
THE Dennis HorakCanada’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2018, told The Athletic earlier this year: ”The whole opening up of the realm of entertainment and sports is a big part of Vision 2030. With LIV Golf (sponsored by Saudi Arabia) and now high level sponsorships such as Lionel Messi as an ambassador of tourism, they try to take it to another level and make it more global. Saudi Arabia’s global reputation needs recovery and it has to do with trying to change the country’s reputation.”».
And he fills in the Athletic about… less democracy in Saudi Arabia: “The defense and investigation team Human Rights Watch (HRW)based in New York, in a statement this week, strongly criticized FIFA for failing to follow its own human rights policies.
The HRW pointed out in her statement that the FIFA Human Rights Policy says it is responsible for identifying and addressing the negative human rights impacts of what it does and should prevent and mitigate abuses.
She noted that women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are still depend on the rights of men thanks to the country’s system of male guardianship and that sex outside marriage, including same-sex relationships, is crime, punishable by death. As a result, LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia must practice “extreme self-censorship to survive in their daily lives.”
Mass executions, for various crimes, are still common and critics of the government face house arrest, imprisonment and even torture. There are no political parties, trade unions or independent media. In 2018, Saudi agents murdered and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi for criticizing the government. Many Western intelligence agencies believe MBS ordered the assassination – a claim he has denied.
Saudi Arabia also depends on migrant workers in the same way as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and treats them just as badly.
”After 13.4 million immigrants Saudi workers, inadequate labor and heat protection and no unions, no independent human rights monitors and without freedom of the press, there is every reason to fear for the lives of those who would build and serve stadiums, transit, hotels. and other hospitality infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,” said HRW director of global initiatives Minky Worden.
And then there is the ongoing crisis in neighboring Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is involved in a painful civil war which has become another proxy conflict with its regional rival Iran. Thousands of Yemenis have been killed in this forgotten war, with recent reports of refugees being shot by Saudi border guards.
Well, if you thought Qatar’s World Cup organization was controversialSaudi Arabia is about to rise to the top».
Source: Sport Fm
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